Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) - Education Standards

Maryland, United States

The Maryland College and Career Ready Standards (MCCRS) define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The framework incorporates the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Science, and state-specific frameworks for Social Studies

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards

The Maryland College and Career Ready Standards (MCCRS) define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The framework incorporates the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Science, and state-specific frameworks for Social Studies.

Governing Body: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)

Year Adopted: 2010 (ELA/Math), 2013 (Science), 2020 (Social Studies Revisions)

Grade Levels Covered

Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, High School

English Language Arts (ELA)

Kindergarten

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 Reading: Literature

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Key skills: Identifying details, Asking questions, Answering questions
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.1.A Reading: Foundational Skills

Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page.

Key skills: Print concepts, Directionality

Grade 4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2 Reading: Informational Text

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

Key skills: Main idea identification, Summarizing, Supporting details
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1 Writing

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

Key skills: Opinion writing, Argumentation, Evidence use

Grade 8

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3 Reading: Literature

Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Key skills: Character analysis, Plot analysis, Textual evidence
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.4 Language

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Key skills: Vocabulary acquisition, Context clues, Greek/Latin roots

High School

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1 Reading: Informational Text

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Key skills: Evidence citation, Inference, Critical analysis

Mathematics

Kindergarten

K.CC.A.1 Counting and Cardinality

Count to 100 by ones and by tens.

Key skills: Counting, Number sequence

Grade 4

4.NF.A.1 Number and Operations—Fractions

Explain why a fraction a/b is equivalent to a fraction (n × a)/(n × b) by using visual fraction models.

Key skills: Equivalent fractions, Visual modeling

Grade 8

8.EE.B.5 Expressions and Equations

Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph.

Key skills: Graphing, Slope, Unit rate

High School

HS.A-REI.B.3 Algebra: Reasoning with Equations and Inequalities

Solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable, including equations with coefficients represented by letters.

Key skills: Equation solving, Inequalities, Variable manipulation

Science

Grade 2

2-PS1-1 Physical Science

Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

Key skills: Observation, Classification, Experimental design

Grade 5

5-LS1-1 Life Science

Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

Key skills: Argumentation, Plant biology, Ecosystems

Grade 8

MS-ESS2-1 Earth and Space Science

Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

Key skills: Modeling, Geologic cycles, Energy flow

High School

HS-PS1-1 Physical Science

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

Key skills: Periodic table analysis, Atomic structure, Predictive modeling

Social Studies

Grade 4

Standard 5.0 History

Students will examine the early history of Maryland, including the role of the Calverts and the founding of the Maryland colony.

Key skills: State history, Chronology, Historical figures

Grade 8

Standard 1.0 Civics

Analyze the impact of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights on the development of the American political system.

Key skills: Constitutional analysis, Civic responsibility, Political systems

High School

Standard 4.0 Economics

Analyze how the interaction of supply, demand, and price affects the allocation of resources in a market economy.

Key skills: Economic reasoning, Supply and demand, Resource allocation

Implementation Notes

Maryland's standards are implemented through local school system curricula, which must align with the state frameworks but allow for local flexibility in instructional materials. COMAR (Code of Maryland Regulations) mandates specific instructional programs in core subjects (13A.04.14 for ELA, 13A.04.12 for Math, 13A.04.09 for Science, and 13A.04.08 for Social Studies).

Assessment

Student achievement is assessed through the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) in ELA and Math (grades 3-8 and High School), the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) for grades 5, 8, and High School, and the High School Assessment (HSA) for Government.

About This Standard
Added:
January 13, 2026

This standard was generated using AI with grounded search to find official, accurate information. While we strive for accuracy, please verify important details with official sources.

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